These Carrot Cake Truffles are a treat from Momofuku Milk Bar’s genius chef, Christina Tosi. Carrot cake is crumbled and bound together with liquid cheesecake, and coated in milk crumbs.

Carrot Cake Truffles - With Closeup of Interior Cake Texture

It’s tempting to think of these as just a cake pop without the stick, but that’s not what this is.

It’s a similar procedure, but here’s what’s different.

You break up a carrot cake, mix in some liquid cheesecake to bind it (instead of frosting), then you roll it around in what’s called milk crumb, a crisp streusel-like coating.

This creation comes from the famed Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC, a place I ventured to in search of their much-hyped, Anderson-Cooper-endorsed Crack Pie, but ended up falling in love with for their cake truffles, corn cookies, and pies.

To make these, you start out by making the carrot cake, and of course that starts with lots of grated carrots:

Shredded Carrots in a Glass Cup

And with this particular carrot cake, it’s REALLY lots of carrots. That batter is like half carrots, I swear:

Carrot Cake Truffle Batter in Mixing Bowl

Bake off the carrot cake for 30 minutes, then tear it up with a fork. Go ahead, let out your day’s frustrations on the cake. It can take it.

Breaking up Carrot Cake to Form into Carrot Cake Balls

Mix the carrot cake with a little bit of liquid cheesecake to bind, then roll it into small cake balls:

Carrot Cake Balls on Sheet Pan Uncoated

Those cake balls will soon be rolling around in milk crumb, which is a crisp streusel-like coating:

Milk Bar Milk Crumbs in Dish

For a finer texture, crush the large clumps with a fork:

Baked and Toasted Milk Crumbs for Coating the Truffles

Now it’s time for the good part. Dip each cake ball into melted white chocolate, then roll to coat in the milk crumb. I’ve got my friends Jaqie and Sara on the job!

Rolling the Carrot Cake Balls in the Milk Bar Crumbs to Coat

Once the truffles are done, pop them into the fridge for a few hours to let the chocolate harden and let the flavors meld together.

Fully Coated Milk Bar Truffles on Wax Paper

And BAM! You’ve got carrot cake truffles.

Christina Tosi\'s Carrot Cake Truffles Recipe Shown with Closeup of Filling and Crumb Exterior

Since this recipe is a longer process than most, it’s great fun to make with friends. Ya know, have a few drinks, gab about who knows what, and make cake truffles. Enjoy!

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Carrot Cake Truffles from Momofuku Milk Bar

Carrot Cake Truffles

Servings: 30
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
These Carrot Cake Truffles are a treat from Momofuku Milk Bar's genius chef, Christina Tosi. Carrot cake is crumbled and bound together with liquid cheesecake, and coated in milk crumbs.
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Ingredients

For the Carrot Cake:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs whisked
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 6.25 oz all-purpose flour, by weight (1.25 cups, measured)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2.5 cups grated carrots

For the liquid cheesecake:

  • 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 egg

For the milk crumbs:

  • 1 cup + 1/2 cup milk powder
  • 2.5 oz flour, by weight (1/2 cup, measured)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 6 oz white chocolate melted

For assembling the truffles:

  • 9 oz white chocolate melted

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  • Cream together the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (read my article on how to cream properly if you don’t know how). Cream for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add the oil, and beat until the oil has been incorporated.
  • Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour disappears, then fold in the grated carrots. Scrape it all out into a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool, and turn the oven down to 300 degrees F.
  • To make the liquid cheesecake: set the oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Beat the cream cheese in a bowl with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix until the sugar has been incorporated.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt, milk, and eggs, and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Beat this mixture into the cream cheese and beat for 3 minutes.
  • Place the liquid cheesecake in an ovenproof bowl. Place the bowl into another ovenproof pan and fill with enough boiling water to come up halfway up the sides of the liquid cheesecake (this is a bain marie, it will help regulate the temperature of the cheesecake and make sure it doesn’t brown or curdle). Bake the cheesecake in this water bath for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the cheesecake bowl from the water and let it cool. Turn the oven down to 250.
  • To make the milk crumbs: Set the oven to 250 degrees F, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Whisk to combine 1 cup milk powder with the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and use a spatula to toss the mixture until small clusters form. Spread these clusters onto your parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk powder and toss, then crush the large clusters with a fork.
  • Pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until large crumbs form again. Place the crumbs in the fridge or freezer to let the white chocolate harden. If the crumbs are too large, crush with a fork or spin them briefly in a food processor (be careful not to melt the chocolate in that hot food processor).
  • To assemble the truffles: Use a fork to flake the carrot cake into crumbs, and mix 6-8 tbsp of the liquid cheesecake in. Use a small cookie scoop to portion out truffles and roll them into balls. Dip each ball into the melted white chocolate, then roll to coat in the milk crumbs. Repeat with the remaining cake balls and refrigerate the cake balls until the chocolate has hardened.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 211mg, Potassium: 89mg, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 320IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas